peace: from bin laden to biden and hussein to hussein

once, years ago, i was bicycling with a dear friend throughout asia. one night, somewhere beside the banks of the mekong river the two of us got into a heated argument about non-violence.

the two sides were this. i was preaching non-violence as the ultimate force of change. and he was saying how he could see the reason why people and groups around the world engage in violence as it tends to land on the front page of next day's newspaper, thus bringing the the cause to front and center stage.

i argued and still do, that if for example, we here in the united states really wanted to stop the war in Iraq before it started, it would be easy. 10,000 people at once sit down in times square or lie down on the runway at jfk until peaceful dialogue begins.

this type of action, this explosion of love and realness is more powerful and meaningful then the force of 1000 atomic bombs. change can happen. but we gotta choose our battles and live them.

words still baffle me. years ago i moved from india to indiana in a blink of an eye, to live with my family. by the time i arrived in indiana, my poppa had already found an indian grocer with shelves stocked full. yes, in indiana.

and America is crazy too. perhaps this connect is just mine, but for years our government has looked for osama and wanted him, dead or alive. now you take away 3 letters from bin laden and one's got the democratic vice presidential candidate's namesake, biden.

the english language is remarkable. and of course, obama and saddam share a name too. but that's about all they share.

are the world's connects just plain random.

The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. "You may have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

-from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

love and peace and universal health care for all...